Common names:
Ocellated labyrinth fish
None

Taxonomic tree
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fish)
Order: Anabantiformes (Anabantoids)
Family: Anabantidae (Climbing gouramies)
Genus: Ctenopoma
Species: Ctenopoma muriei (Boulenger, 1906)
Number of Occurrancies: 132

Etymology(based on Scharpf & Lazara, 2020)

• Ctenopoma: ctenos, comb; poma, operculum, referring to serrated operculum of C. multispine


• muriei: in honor of Scottish physician and naturalist James Murie (1832-1925), who did “most of the collecting” during an 1861-1862 expedition to the White Nile River of Sudan, type locality

Synonyms: click here to view synonyms on FishBase

Type locality: White Nile River, Sudan. Syntypes (probably) at British Museum of Natural History (BMNH) 

General identification features for "Anabantoids"

• A pair of nostrils on each side of the head, the anterior nostril in form of a small tube


• Margin of the operculum is serrated


• Scales are large and ctenoid, the entire head is covered with scales


• Presence of an accessory breathing organ above the gills (labyrinth organs)


• The dody is short, moderately compressed with an interrupted lateral line forming an upper (anterior) and lower (posterior) series of lateral line scales

Distinguishing characters for the genus

• Dorsal fin with 15 or 16 (rarely 14) spines; sub-operculum with numerous, fine serrations


• Two groups of well-defined spines, separated by a deep notch

Distinguishing characters for the species: Only 1 species belongs to genus Ctenopoma in Ugandan waters. The characters for the genus suffice to identify this species. On color, the species is silver-grey, the body with numerous dark spots and well-defined black spot, outlined in yellow, at the base of the caudal fin and partly extending into the fin itself.

Taxonomic remarks: This species has ability to utilise atmospheric oxygen in addition to carrying out aquatic respiration and can torelate foul and stagnant waters. 

Distribution in Uganda: Lakes Victoria, Kyoga and Edward and their affluent streams; various streams and rivers

Occurence: Native

Habitat: Benthopelagic; common in shallow, vegetated waters 

Feeding: Insectivore, feeding on insect larvae and crustacea

Biology: Information scanty, but the fish larvae have been found in temporary streams and their presence together with sexually active adults suggests that spawning takes place when such streams are flooded during the rainy season. 

Economic importance/End use: The species grows to a small size (maximum size 7 cm SL) and is not target fishery 

IUCN conservation status: click here to view conservation status

Threats: Unknown

Main references

• Greenwood PH. 1966. The fishes of Uganda. The Uganda Society, Kampala. 131 pages.


• Sharpf C, Lazara J.K. 2020. Fish Name Etymology Database v4. www.etyfish.org